Hareluya and the Mad Scientist
by chilled monkey
Summary: Hibino is lured into a trap by an insane scientist wanting to use him in his experiments.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own the series "Hareluya II Boy." This story is a work of fan fiction. No profit is being made from it.

* * *

Hibino Hareluya idly rested his baseball bat against his shoulder and grinned down at the beaten punks moaning in pain that lay before him. He had been on his way to meet up with Makoto Ichijou and Yamana Michiru as usual when they had appeared before him wanting revenge for some members of their gang that he had fought and defeated a few days ago. They had then attacked him and of course had ended up the same way their fellows had. In short, nothing out of the ordinary.

"You're at least a million years too early to stand a chance at beating Ore-sama" he said, his grin broadening. He never got tired of saying that line.

 _Besides, I'm just speaking the truth he thought to himself_ smugly.

With that Hibino continued on his way. As he did so, he was totally unaware that he was being secretly watched.

Parked a short distance away was an old but well-maintained car. The occupant smiled slyly. He had seen the entire fight and had liked what he'd seen very much.

"So Hibino Hareluya, you're just as good as your reputation indicated" he mused. "You'll be a perfect subject for my research."

* * *

Ichijou glared at his watch. "Damn it, what's taking him so long? Amamiya was late to practise so we barely got any rehearsal time in at all. If I find out I left early while he dragged his heels I'll…"

"Calm down Ichijou" said Yamana. "I'm sure Hibino has a good reason for being late."

"He'd better" he replied, although the annoyance in his voice eased.

Just then Hibino appeared. "Yoh Ichijou, Yamana" he called.

"Yoh" she called back with a cheerful smile.

"You're late Hibino" said Ichijou.

He snorted. "Not that Ore-sama has to explain anything to you but if you must know on my way I was jumped by some punks."

Yamana gave him a surprised look. "Are you okay Hibino?"

Hibino laughed. "Those losers weren't even a warm-up."

Ichijou nodded. "I see. Sorry Hibino."

"No need to apologise. I could handle punks like that in my sleep. Anyway now that I'm here we can…"

"Excuse me are you Hibino Hareluya?" said a high, squeaky voice.

He turned around, annoyed at the interruption. Behind him was a thin, skinny guy wearing a Rakeun uniform.

"I am" Hibino said brusquely.

"This is for you" the skinny guy said as he handed him a leaflet and then walked off. Curious, Hibino examined it. He grinned in delight at what he read.

"What is it?" Ichijou asked.

"Ore-sama has been selected as a contestant for a new game-show" he replied. "There's a chance to win ten thousand yen!"

"That's so cool Hibino!" Yamana exclaimed.

"Yeah" Ichijou agreed.

"That's right" he said. "Not only will Ore-sama be on television he will also win that ten thousand yen!"

* * *

The following day Hibino led them to the address printed on the leaflet.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Ichijou asked. The three of them were currently standing outside an abandoned factory.

"Of course, it says so right here" Hibino snapped, jabbing the leaflet with his finger.

"Maybe the show has some kind of obstacle course that needs too much room for a regular studio" Yamana suggested.

"Yes that must be it" Hibino agreed. "Anyway, let Ore-sama in!"

He began pounding his fist on the double doors in front of him. One of the doors rattled and opened. On the other side of the doorway was a man in a smart suit with well-groomed black hair and black-rimmed glasses.

"I apologise for that, the door was supposed to be open" he said. "Anyway are you a contestant?"

Hibino grinned and held up the leaflet. "Right here. See, there's my name on it."

"Splendid, come right in" said the man. He then looked at Ichijou and Yamana, seeming to notice them for the first time. "Ah, I'm afraid this is authorised personnel and contestants only."

"What?" Ichijou exclaimed "Are you saying we're not allowed in?"

"I'm sorry but no, you are not."

"Too bad Ichijou. I guess you just don't have TV quality" Hibino crowed.

He glared at him, fingers curling into fists. "Why you…"

"Ichijou" Yamana said firmly as she put a hand on his shoulder. His anger cooled and his fists unclenched.

"Well Ore-sama needs to get on with his TV debut. See you later" said Hibino gleefully.

"See you Hibino" said Yamana.

"Yeah, break a leg" Ichijou said darkly.

Hibino laughed as the suited man closed the door and then turned to him.

"This way please."

"So what is this show about anyway?" Hibino asked as he followed the man down a series of corridors

"Mostly physical tests. Strength, endurance and such" the man replied.

"Perfect. That ten thousand is as good as mine" Hibino crowed, rubbing his hands at the thought of the money that would soon be his.

His grin disappeared a moment later as he went through a door into a large empty room. As he looked around in bewilderment he didn't notice the man drawing a boxy black object from a concealed holster and pointing it at him.

"What's going on here? Where are the people, the equipment, the…?"

A projectile trailing a pair of thin wires behind it shot out and hit him directly in the back. Blue-white electrical sparks arced over his body. He roared in fury and struggled, fighting the effects of the current, but after a moment his muscles began to spasm and he dropped to the ground. Seconds later the spasms stopped and he lay still.

The man in the suit grinned down at him "Amazing. That amount of current was enough to bring down a buffalo and yet he still managed to resist it for a moment. I can't wait to experiment on him!"

* * *

"Can you believe that guy?" Ichijou complained as he and Yamana were walking away from the factory. "Authorised personnel and contestants only" he repeated in a mocking impression. "How dare he treat us like riff-raff!"

"Come on Ichijou he was just saying what he'd been told to" Yamana calmly replied. "If he'd let us in he'd have gotten in trouble."

"Maybe but he could have at least tried to sound like he meant it when he said sorry."

"That's true" she agreed. "Even if we weren't selected to appear on the show we…"

Her words trailed off and she stopped walking as a thought occurred to her. He also stopped and turned to look at her questioningly.

"Ichijou have you heard anything about any new game-shows being made?"

He shook his head. "Not a thing."

"Me neither. And why didn't we see anyone else going to that factory?"

He frowned. "You're right. Something strange is going on here."

They looked at each other, nodded once and started back towards the factory.

* * *

Hibino groaned as he began to stir. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was following the guy in the suit into a room and then…

His eyes opened wide and he snarled as he remembered what had happened next. That guy was going to pay for shocking the invincible Ore-sama!

Hibino tried to leap to his feet but to his surprise he couldn't move. He looked down to see that he was laying inside a rectangular metal box with a raised lid and pinned down with his arms at his sides by gleaming metal bands that encircled his chest, stomach, thighs and shins. Gritting his teeth he tried to break loose but the bands held.

It was only then that he noticed his surroundings. He was in a large room filled with computer banks and arrays of complicated machinery. There were several tables covered with coiled tubes and containers filled with coloured liquids. Strangest of all there were two cages in a corner, each with a huge black gorilla trapped inside. One gorilla was laying on its back looking sick and listless while the other looked fine. He was making low groaning sounds and trying to reach through the bars towards his sick companion.

Typing into a computer was the man that had shocked him, except that his suit had now been replaced by a white lab coat. He stood up from his chair and turned, smiling unpleasantly.

"Good you're awake Hibino-san. I would appreciate it if you stop trying to break your restraints. Not that it really matters since they're made of titanium steel. Even you cannot break them. However my experiments would go better if you didn't waste your energy trying."

"What the ***** is going on here?" Hibino growled.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Tomitake and this is my laboratory. For many years I have been experimenting on improving human physiology through science. In particular I have been researching a means to transfer the abilities of certain animals to humans." He pointed at the gorillas. "Observe the difference between Subject G1 and G2. Anyway, when I learned about you Hibino-san I knew you would be an excellent test subject."

"Ore-sama is no-one's lab rat!" Hibino yelled angrily. He strained even harder against his bonds but they refused to break. Dr. Tomitake's smile broadened.

* * *

Having returned to the factory, Ichijou and Yamana were making their way warily down the corridor.

"I hope Hibino is okay" she said.

"He'll be fine" said Ichijou. "He's tough as nails and half as smart."

Despite the situation she laughed softly.

Just then they came to a door. Ichijou carefully went up to it, opened the door and looked inside. Seeing that the room was empty he was about to close it when he noticed a horizontal seam running up one of the walls. He went inside and studied it more closely.

"What have you found?" Yamana asked as she walked up to him.

"Some kind of hidden door" he replied. "Looks like it didn't close fully."

The seam was wide enough for him to reach in with his fingers and pull. The door slid to the side, revealing a flight of metal steps that led down to another corridor. They exchanged worried looks.

"Hibino must be down there" he said.

"Then that's where we're going" she replied.

They carefully descended the steps. Ahead they could see light coming from around a corner.

* * *

"The device you are laying inside is my greatest creation yet" Dr. Tomitake went on. "I call it the Bio-Transposer."

"Is that supposed to impress Ore-sama?" Hibino sneered.

"Of course not. Your limited intellect could never comprehend the brilliance of my machine. As such I will explain it in simple terms for you. This machine can extract the energy from one life-form and then infuse it into another. I will use it to transfer your amazing strength to me!"

"You sick ******!" Hibino yelled. "You think you can take Ore-sama's power so easily?"

"I can and I will! My genius is…"

He was interrupted by a sudden thud and a pained yelp.

* * *

Ichijou and Yamana had followed the light around the corner and into the hidden lab. They looked around at the banks of elaborate machinery in astonishment.

"What is this place?" she whispered.

"I don't know but it can't be anything good" he replied.

They heard voices ahead of them. Carefully following the voices they crept through the lab until they came upon Hibino laying in a rectangular metal box and the man from before, now wearing a lab coat. Their eyes widened as they heard what he was saying.

Overcome with surprise Ichijou took a step back and bashed his foot against a heavy piece of machinery.

"OW!"

Dr. Tomitake's head whipped around. Yamana was able to duck out of sight but Ichijou wasn't quick enough and the scientist saw him.

"Intruder!" He pulled out what looked like a TV remote control from his pocket and hit a button. A panel on a wall slid open and something lumbered through.

"What the hell?" Ichijou exclaimed.

It looked like a man but was covered in thick black fur and had flattened, simian features. It wore only a pair of blue bike shorts. Beneath the fur he could see it was built like a tank.

Dr. Tomitake pointed at Ichijou. "Seize him!"

The ape-man immediately advanced on him, arms raised. He ran to meet it and landed a flurry of blows to its chest and face. It didn't even seem to notice them as its arms closed around him in a huge bear hug and lifted him off of the floor. He gritted his teeth as he fought to break loose but the ape-man's arms were like steel girders. Ichijou's struggles grew weaker as the air was squeezed from his lungs until finally he went limp. The ape-man eased the pressure but still held him firmly.

"Ichijou you moron!" Hibino yelled. "Not only were you stupid enough to let them see you but then you let that thing beat you!"

"Of course. He had no chance." Dr. Tomitake cackled. He pointed at the sick gorilla. "I used the Bio-Transposer to drain the energy of Subject G1 and then transfer it into Subject GH1. A mere human is no match for him. As you see the process has a few side-effects."

Ichijou groaned as he started to come to. Dr. Tomitake turned to look at him more closely.

"Ah yes I remember you now. I am glad you came back. An extra test subject will be useful."

"You're insane" Ichijou said faintly. He merely laughed in reply.

Hibino's eyes blazed. "Last chance doc. Release Ore-sama and his underling now or you'll regret it."

"I don't think so" he said with a sick grin as he walked over to the machine Hibino was strapped into and began tapping the keys on an adjacent control panel. Hibino uttered a bellow of rage before the lid closed, sealing him inside. A row of blue lights lit up along the side of the machine and a faint crackling of electricity could be heard.

Inside the machine Hibino struggled furiously. He could feel his strength being slowly drained away, his muscles becoming sluggish and unresponsive. Despite that he merely fought harder to get loose. "Ore-sama will never give up" he yelled defiantly.

* * *

Still hidden behind a bank of machinery Yamana watched the scene in dismay.

"I've got to do something" she whispered.

She looked around for something she could use and spotted the two caged gorillas. She also noticed that neither Dr. Tomitake or Subject GH1 were looking at them, all of their attention being focused on the device Hibino was inside.

Quickly but quietly she crept through the lab, taking care to stay behind the machinery as much as possible, until she made it to the gorillas. The upright one looked at her curiously.

"We can help you if you help us" she said quietly. With that she opened the cage door.

Unaware of this, Dr. Tomitake stared at the control panel. "It's working! Soon his power will be mine!"

A sudden roar filled the lab and he spun around, jaw dropping as he saw Subject G2 out of his cage and beating his chest as he advanced, his mouth open wide to display his large teeth. Of course normally gorillas were gentle creatures but this was not a normal situation. He knew that the bad men had hurt his friend and they needed to be stopped.

Subject GH1 let go of Ichijou and turned to face the freed ape. Both growled as they seized each other and grappled furiously. The gorilla overpowered the mutant and lifted it over his head. With a roar he hurled it into a computer bank where it crashed down hard.

"My experiment will not be ruined by a mere animal!" Dr. Tomitake cried. He pulled out his stun-gun and ran over but before he could fire it the gorilla loped over and sent the weapon flying from his hand with one swipe of a long arm. He backed away in terror.

"Hey doc" said a voice behind him. He turned and Ichijou knocked him out with a single punch.

Meanwhile Yamana had rushed over to the control panel. She hurriedly typed in "cancel." The crackling sound ceased.

"Hold on Hibino" she said as she studied the screen. From a list of options she selected one that read "reverse."

Inside the machine Hibino stopped moving in surprise as he felt his strength returning. A second later the metal bands holding him in place retracted and the lid opened. He sat up to be greeted by Yamana's relieved smile.

"Are you okay Hibino?"

"Ore-sama is fine" he replied. He hesitated and then added "thank you."

"Anytime" she said, her smile further brightening.

He hopped out of the machine and looked over to see Ichijou helping the gorilla with his ailing companion.

"What's this Ichijou? Have you found a new master?"

Ichijou glowered at him but before he could reply there was another growl. Everyone turned to see Subject GH1 getting up. It looked angry.

"Ore-sama will handle this" said Hibino as he strolled over. The gorilla looked at Ichijou curiously.

"Hibino will be fine. He just needs to work out his frustrations" he said.

The mutant punched him in the jaw but he recovered immediately and responded with a punch of his own. They stood toe-to-toe, battering away at each other but Hibino was hungry for revenge. Finally he landed a haymaker that K.O. 'ed the creature.

* * *

A little while later, when Dr. Tomitake came to he found Hibino standing over him with a wicked grin.

"Hello doc" he said as he pulled out a feathery fan. "Now I'm going to try an experiment of my own. I'm going to see just how long you can survive Ore-sama's famous tickle torture."

The scientist's screams could be heard outside the factory.

* * *

The next day Hibino, Ichijou and Yamana were at the zoo checking on the gorillas. The zoo was closed but Hibino's father had managed to get them permission to visit outside of normal hours.

"How are they?" Yamana asked as they followed a keeper to the ape enclosure.

"See for yourself" the keeper replied as she pointed to a large enclosure. All of them smiled in delight at what they saw, even Hibino.

It was filled with grass and lush vegetation, with platforms and walls for the gorillas to climb on and a cave at the back where they could go when they wanted to be left alone.

Agito, formerly Subject G1, had been restored to full health. He and Taiki, formerly Subject G2, were currently grooming each other contentedly. Seeing their visitors they stopped and loped over to the wire grating.

"Hi guys" said Ichijou.

The gorillas hooted softly and put their hands to the grating.

"They recognise you" said the keeper. "That's the same sound they use to greet each other."

Hibino grinned. "Looks like you've finally found your people Ichijou. At least now when your music career fails you'll have a place to go to."

Ichijou turned red as everyone started laughing. A second later he joined in while the gorillas watched curiously.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Fans of the "Swamp Thing" animated series will have probably noticed that the Bio-Transposer device has more than a passing resemblance to Dr. Arcane's Transducer. This is entirely deliberate as I really liked the design and wanted to use it as a template. I apologise for the lack of originality but imitation **is** the sincerest form of flattery.

Also while gorillas are capable of laughter they normally laugh only when tickled or while playing. They wouldn't join in the laughter at a joke.


End file.
